October 5th, 2009
A woman is seeking compensation from her employers after an accident in which she lost the tops of two fingers.
Paulina Lleshi, 24, had been cleaning an icing machine at Spread Newco Four in January when her hand slipped into the working parts, the Mirror reports.
The machine had to remain switched on while being cleaned, but no guards were in place while the task was carried out.
Managers at the firm admitted that they had failed to keep the machine in a safe state and that guards had only been fitted after the incident.
The firm was ordered to pay £9,000 in fines and Ms Lleshi is now seeking compensation for her injuries and for lost earnings after being off work for four months.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, there were 1,236 injuries per 100,000 employees in the food and drink sector in 2007-08, with moving machinery causing 7.4 per cent of these.
Tags: Bakery, Earnings, Food And Drink, Four Months, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Lost, Mirror, Moving Machinery, Tops, Two Fingers, Woman, Worker Compensation
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March 10th, 2009
A man who fell 14 feet off a ladder has secured compensation after he was forced to retire.
Jeffery Phillips, 59, had worked at Gunstones Bakery in Dronfield for 11 years when he was asked to clean the top of a divider machine in preparation for a customer visit in 2006, the Sheffield Telegraph reports.
However, the ladder he was using to reach the top of the machine slipped and Mr Phillips fell to the floor, breaking his hip, fracturing his elbow and hurting his hand.
He needed a hip replacement and was forced to give up work.
Mr Phillips took legal action against Gunstones Bakery, which admitted liability and agreed to an out-of-court settlement of £80,000.
"I decided to pursue compensation because I wanted the company to take full responsibility for the accident," the victim said.
He added that he had never received training in the use of ladders and would not want a similar fate to happen to anyone else for the same reason.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, ladders accounted for the greatest number of major injuries to employees due to both high falls (40 per cent) and low falls (28 per cent) in 2007-08.
Tags: 11 Years, Bakery, Court Settlement, Customer Visit, Divider, Dronfield, Elbow, Fate, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Hip Replacement, Ladder, Ladders, Mr Phillips, Sheffield Telegraph
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January 26th, 2009
A doctor who narrowly avoided serious injury after plunging headfirst down a bakery’s delivery shaft has been paid compensation by the firm.
Doctor Mohan Gopal, 55, had gone into Le Pain in Kensington shortly after opening time in July 2007 with his wife and daughter, the Telegraph reports.
However, he fell 12 feet down the open shaft, hitting a lift mechanism on his way down and landing on his face. Fortunately, he suffered only ligament damage to his knee.
In a new development, Judge Daniel Worsley ordered the Le Pain to pay Mr Gopal compensation of £7,500 after finding that the company had ignored safety guidelines by not putting out signs about the open shaft to warn customers.
He remarked: "What was lacking here was the most basically obvious protection against a customer coming in. It was appalling for an accident like this to be allowed to happen."
Anyone who is injured due fall because of the negligence of the occupier of a shop or other public area may be entitled to make a no win, no fee compensation claim and should seek the advice of a solicitor specialising in personal injury compensation claims.
Tags: Bakery, Doctor Who, Kensington, Ligament Damage, Mohan, Mr Gopal, Negligence, No Win No Fee Compensation Claim, Occupier, Open Shaft, Opening Time, Personal Injury Compensation, Personal Injury Compensation Claims, Plunge, Quot, Safety Guidelines, Solicitor Specialising, Telegraph Reports, Worsley
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